


ivar's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day at the amusement park

by sureimiku



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Amusement Parks, Crack, Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Gen, M/M, Roller Coasters, ivar is a gay mess, pining! at the amusement park
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 07:27:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26349340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sureimiku/pseuds/sureimiku
Summary: Between a close friend, a couple he's never met, and his crush for months, Ivar can't promise that this day at the amusement park is going to go well.{day 8 of xillia week; hallowmont/free day}
Relationships: Alvin/Ludger Will Kresnik, Ivar & Leia Rolando, Ivar/Jude Mathis, Jude Mathis & Leia Rolando
Comments: 10
Kudos: 14
Collections: Tales of Xillia Week





	ivar's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day at the amusement park

**Author's Note:**

> xillia week has finally come to a close... :( 
> 
> i had so much fun writing for an entire week of prompts. from character studies to writing the angst of a character i've always wanted to write, it was such an amazing event. since today was a free day i went as self-indulgent as i possibly could, and wrote my favorite friendships & relationships in one fic. amusement parks are also so much fun to write and it was hilarious imagining the chaos these five would go through there.
> 
> i hope you enjoy, thank you for reading <3

Summer had arrived again, leaving the journalist and her friends bored to death for the umpteenth time. Leia is in college now, studying journalism to become a full-fledged reporter. Aside from taking side jobs for some cash to spare, the blistering heat made it dreadful to go almost _anywhere._

At least, that’s what the girl thinks, until she lays her eyes upon one of the greatest ideas she’s ever had. An amusement park not too far away is offering discounts for admission. Since it’s too hot, that means fewer people would be there too, Leia figures. She scrambles to text her group of friends asking if they’d like to tag along over the weekend. And while they were at it, maybe spend the rest of the day there. 

Of course, she invites her childhood friend and closer friends. Seeing familiar faces for the first time in months already perked her up. Among them was Jude, Ivar (Leia ended up dragging him here; she absolutely insisted on it), Alvin, and Ludger. The rest of their friend group is busy with work and the like, but there could easily be lots of fun with an entourage of five. 

Ivar was not expecting Jude to come. So when he sees him standing in front of him Saturday morning, with his black embroidered t-shirt and shorts, he nearly freezes. How long has it been since they’d seen each other? Since Ivar had to conceal the wild blush that took to his cheeks just by _looking_ at him? He snaps out of it, directing his attention back to the group of people Leia had dragged here.

“Damn, it’s _hot.”_ Alvin tries to fan himself with his own copy of the park map, but it does little to no help. It was good that they came in the morning; yes, it's still scorching, but it wouldn't be as bad as the heatwaves that were doomed to arrive in the early afternoon. “Maybe I should have brought my sunglasses.”

“It’s not even that bad!” Leia frowns as she unfolds the map of the park. There are too many rides to count, too many food stalls… she did not have any idea where to start. This park _is_ the biggest in the country; the entrance is plastered with posters screaming all about it. “How’s that teacup ride sound?” She points to an attraction on the map, tracing a circle with her finger around it. “You know, the one where you spin around in an actual teacup?”

“That’s too childish.” Ivar crosses his arms and grips one hand around the huge piece of paper. An entire line of food stalls catch his eye; one selling cotton candy, another selling funnel cakes...“Why don’t we get food or something? They have sweets and stuff.”

“We just got here, Ivar. Unless you want to get sick when going on the rides, then by all means go for it.” Ivar grumbles at the brunet's teasing, which sends Leia and Ludger into fits of laughter. Come to think of it, this is the first time he's meeting Alvin's...friend? His hair color matches Ivar's own, and, well...he seems kinder than the man who just scolded him. “Then what do _you_ suggest we go on?”

The older man shrugs, “I was fine with what we were originally gonna go on. It says all ages can go on it, anyway.” Alvin folds the map neatly and hands it to Leia for safekeeping. “Let’s go, then?” Everyone agrees, Ivar more irritatingly. What was the problem with eating and then going on the ride? He would be able to stomach it and not get sick like Alvin said he would. 

Well, he thinks this because he’s never been to an amusement park. 

The line is fairly short for the ride; coming early in the morning had its perks. The group of five splits into two groups. Ivar tags along with Jude and Leia, with the other group being the other two men. The white haired boy sits down slowly, unsure if this is a good idea or not. Well, he’s sitting right next to _Jude_ out of all people. He must’ve been daydreaming when he agreed to sit with him, but he knew he’d be embarrassed for his entire life if he screamed like a little girl. 

“You’re okay?” Jude instinctively places a hand over Ivar’s. “You can get off if you feel uncomfortable.” The ride’s gate is still open, so he could change his mind if he wanted to.

“It’s fine! I swear!” Ivar places his hands on the spinner in the middle, trying to find an open spot along with the other pair of hands. “I just...don’t know how this thing _works._ ”

“It’s simple! All you have to do is—”

Leia is cut off by the announcer speaker from above, and the cups start rotating slowly, fast, and then faster; it’s too much for Ivar to process in mere seconds. Leia’s spinning like a madman, and Jude looks like he’s hanging on for his dear life. 

“Stop— spinning— so— _fast!_ Ivar, stop!” The poor boy is nearly screaming at the top of his lungs trying to halt the ride, but there’s no hope. To his dismay, Ivar is completely immersed in the action of increasing speed instead of _decreasing_. 

“That’s the fastest you can go!?” Ivar spins it twice as fast, turning all their surroundings into a blur. At this point, trying to find the other group of friends is nearly impossible. Now he could see what Alvin meant earlier by getting _motion sickness,_ but the sheer determination to spin at an excruciating speed causes him to forget about that. 

“You spin so slow, Alvin.” The younger man crosses his arms, allowing the other man to do all the spinning. “Why can’t you spin as fast as...wait.” 

The brunet stops spinning to make eye contact with his boyfriend, but he’s not even looking. “Yeah, what? I don’t see anyone spinning at an incredible speed.”

“...Is that Jude’s group?” Ludger points to the out-of-control teacup spinning faster than anyone else on the attraction. “They’re going to break the ride!” 

“No no, I think it’s fine. They’re not that powerful.” Alvin goes to place his hands back on the spinner, but the sound of screeching against metal interrupts him. The next thing he sees is Jude’s teacup flinging _off_ the ride, mixed with the joyous cheering of Leia and incoherent screaming of Jude. 

“Guys, we're falling off—STOP!” Jude feels sick to the stomach, but his mind is rushing through several different emotions at once; exhilaration, thrill, nausea. Leia eventually stops, finally realizing that their cup is dislocated from the others. “Ivar, stop! The ride is over!”

“You’re giving up alrea— _huh?_ ” Ivar pauses for a moment, peeking out of the cup. Leia was right. They're off the railing that kept the cups in place, and in the distance, their other friends watching in complete shock. 

...Well. So much for a first experience, right? 

The trio gets off the ride, obviously embarrassed by their actions. The other ride passengers look at them with confused and scared looks. 

“That was...fun?” Ludger tries to lighten up the mood but is only met with Jude’s glaring yet weak eyes. “I don’t see how almost flying off the ride is fun.” Humor definitely didn’t do well to change his mood. 

It was going to be a _very_ long day.

* * *

Aside from the teacup incident, the other rides and attractions were just as entertaining. Leia left the arcade with a medium-sized bear plush, and Ivar had gone a little too aggressive at the basketball shooting game. 

“Do any of you guys want to go on the roller coaster?” Jude asks, holding the brochure in front of his face. “This one’s the most popular in the park, and it doesn’t look too bad.” 

Leia shakes her head. “I would, but I want to get something to eat first.” She traces a circle around a funnel cake area, the complete opposite of the roller coaster. “I’ll meet you guys back here, okay?” 

“Sure, it’s getting kind of dark anyway. I’ll just drag some of the other guys with me.” Jude gives a polite but devious smile to the other men in his group once Leia is out of sight. “So...do you guys want to come with me?”

“That looks like a childish ride.” Ivar scoffs at the sight of it on the map, but the real thing...was a different story. The four of them had stopped right in front of the roller coaster, checking the ride out for themselves. “Actually, let’s go. This looks like a decent ride for once. You guys coming too?” 

“Uh.” Alvin tries to make up an excuse not to go, turning his feet towards the silver haired man. “Ludger and I have somewhere to be too, _right?”_ He puts an emphasis on the last word, hoping he would catch on to the fact that he didn’t feel like going. Unfortunately, he did not. 

“...No? I’ll go with you if you want, Jude." He shifts his feet toward the older man, "Are you coming too?” 

“No, we have somewhere to be actually, I just remembered! Sorry!” Alvin physically drags Ludger away from the group, with no particular destination in mind. 

Once they're out of sight, he sighs rather loudly. “I am not going on a ride near him _again,_ ” Alvin speaks in a hushed voice as they near a bench. 

“That’s why you dragged me here? Come on. What bad can a roller coaster do to you?”

“I don’t know. Like, maybe getting stuck upside down? The ride stopping at an unusual point? Someone hurling at me?” Alvin averts his gaze to the bumper car attraction not too far away. “Why don’t we go on that. No harm in driving around a car, right?”

“Alvin, no one wants to see a man in his late twenties trying to cram into a kid-sized car.” 

“The ride says no age restriction. And we can go in pairs.” 

“...No.” Ludger stands up, staring at the attraction for a few seconds. “Let’s go, then.”

“You’re going to pair up with me?” _Finally,_ he thinks, _I get to spend some time with my boyfriend_ —

“No. I’m going to go _against_ you.” Alvin swears Ludger has the most devilish grin on his face. And he _knew_ he liked to get competitive. 

* * *

“You haven’t been on a roller coaster before, right?” Jude asks as he buckles and tightens his seatbelt. “They’re really fun.” 

Ivar crosses his arms, averting his gaze. “I thought this was the kind of ride that people hurl on.” Just looking at Jude makes him feel embarrassed, now that they were alone. It isn't entirely the bad kind of embarrassment. It's more of a mix of between being humiliated at the ride incident from earlier, and Jude _himself._ He takes note of how the setting sun made his facial features look softer, and how he did his hair a little differently today (had he used a different gel? Combed it differently?). Ivar hadn’t looked at his face for too long, because it would only make him feel flushed inside. 

That same feeling of his cheeks flushing disappears as the ride starts up, jolting him a bit forward. Ivar didn’t know if it was just him, but going up this thing was taking ages. When was the fast part, the part that made people yell? 

“The decline is coming up just now. Look, you can almost see the entire amusement park from here.” Ivar turns to see what he’s talking about, and god, the park is _huge._ He can’t believe him and the others traversed through the entire thing today. He peers down to the right and… there’s a fiasco going on near the bumper car area. _Must be some crazy people,_ he figures as he looks back ahead. The incline is fairly close now, and any second now the ride would drop and people would start screaming and— 

The sudden sound of a screech destroys any excitement and anticipation Ivar has left inside of him. The attraction is stuck at the top of the slope. The coaster cars are no longer moving, and idle chatter has turned to utter _chaos._

 _This,_ Ivar muses, _is not going to end well._

* * *

“Did you guys have fun?” Leia reunites with the other two men after an hour or so. An hour of Leia trying out different foods around the park, an hour of Alvin being tortured by Ludger in whatever ride they went on. 

“I would say yes, but this guy right here kept bumping my ass for the entire ride.” Alvin gestures to his partner, who is obviously amused and picking away at his cotton candy. “It’s bumper cars, though. What did you want me to do?” 

_“Not bump into me!_ There were other people there! _”_ Hearing a twenty-nine year old shriek and complain about being bumped on a _kid’s attraction_ sends the other two friends into a fit of laughter. “I can't stand you sometimes!” 

Ludger shakes his head and smirks, “Ah, but you still love me.” His lips are still sticky, but a kiss on Alvin’s cheek is enough to shut him up. 

The temperature cools down, making the walk a comfortable one. Clouds begin to dance away in the sky, painting it a clear orange-yellow color. Stories are exchanged between the three of them, most of them being humorous ones; Leia misses when the three of them talked like this. The air is full with the sound of people laughing, talking with each other, and… _yelling?_

Leia scans the park to see where the source of yelling is coming from, and then she sees the roller coaster… stuck in place. What she also sees, is two familiar figures with their heads tilted sideways. “Is that...Ivar and Jude?” 

“What?” Ludger stops pulling at his cotton candy for a second, trying to identify the figure in the distance. He notes a familiar spiky hairstyle, and a ponytail flying next to him. Alvin literally deadpans. “You’re _joking.”_

“Well, uh, this is a wonderful first experience at the amusement park, isn't it, Ivar?” Jude is trying his best to remain calm, but being hoisted forwards and being close to the drop of the ride isn’t exactly the best situation to be in. 

“Hey, Jude?” Ivar starts shakily, “I am never going with you on a roller coaster _again.”_ The other boy sighs. Just as he thought things could get worse, the announcer yells through a megaphone from down below. “The ride is going to resume normal procedures in a few minutes! Prepare yourself for a sudden drop!”

That only causes Ivar’s nerves to go haywire again. How is he supposed to remain calm when he's sitting next to a boy he (probably) has a crush on? He's known him since high school, where the crush started, and kept in touch with him throughout college. Out of all the horrible scenarios he imagined he could get in with Jude, this was definitely _not_ on the list. 

“Ivar?” There it is again, the gentle voice that drives Ivar’s heart in circles. “I’m really sorry about this. And about earlier. This isn’t a very good first amusement park experience.” Ivar huffs at his apology, “How are we going to fix it at this point? The day’s almost over.”

“I can take you another day. Just the two of us.”

“You think that’ll— Wait, what?” Ivar slowly turns his head towards Jude. “Can you repeat that?” Jude nods innocently. “I said I’ll take you back here another day, to make up for all the mishaps that happened today.” Damn, is this what Leia meant when she called Jude a do-gooder? “...You’re fine with coming back here, right?”

Ivar waves his hands in a messy motion. “No, no, I don’t mind! I...will be expecting a better experience next time.” It was also embarrassing how he hid his words of thankfulness through a harsher sort of tone. Maybe he should actually be kind for once.

“...Jude?” Ivar starts, absentmindedly staring at the metallic bars of the ride. Jude tilts his head curiously at him. “Yes?” 

“I just wanted to tell you, uh… thank—”

 _Crack_ The coaster had finally moved on the railing again, slowly inching towards the drop. The two of them gasp, Ivar holding his breath for a little too long, and then…

 _Oh, fuck._ The air fills with screaming one again, a mix of Jude’s higher pitched one and...whatever in the world Ivar’s was. If Jude has to describe it, it rang both of pure excitement and horror. 

“Oh, look! It’s moving again!” Leia points to the wildly flying attraction. Even while it was moving, distinguishing Jude and Ivar from the rest was an easy task. Once the ride ends, Ivar nearly stumbles; if not for Jude, he would have fell face first on the stone ground.

“You wanted to go on _that?_ ” Alvin looks horrified at how fast the coaster was going, after seeing how still it looked on the top of the incline. “Thanks, but I’ll pass on being stuck on a however-high foot roller coaster without a warning.” Maybe Ivar should have listened to Alvin earlier, because his stomach is twisting and turning in ways he thought it never could.

* * *

It had been a very long day, but the telltale signs of night time approaching ended their adventure of chaos.

“We’ll come again, right? Leia says sadly, taking in the sight of the lit-up amusement park one more time. “I had a lot of fun today.” The older men nod yes, even if it meant Alvin getting pushed around on a ride again. Jude agrees as well, careful to not tell them that he would be taking Ivar here in the future. As for the boy himself… his brain is short-circuiting, so he agrees without any further thought. 

“All right! We gotta come back here next summer, then!” Leia leaves with Jude (they had driven in the same car), and the other two leave together as well. It's only now that Ivar realizes Ludger is not just Alvin's _friend,_ because they leave the park interlocking hands and wearing matching bracelets on their wrists. He wouldn't have guessed they were _dating_ because of the bickering that brewed between them the entire day. 

After their goodbyes texts and such, everyone eventually finds their way home. Ivar halts in front of his own car, staring at the brightly lit and colorful attraction park one more time. 

Next summer was going to be a _mess._


End file.
